The state of a stretch of road in Putnam County has neighbors concerned. However, town leaders say they are working on improvements.

When the pavement ends on Maple Road in the Town of Southeast, nearby residents and people who drive in the area frequently say things get rough.

"It throws you left and right, you start to slide towards the reservoir. It's just not fair to us, the wear and tear on the cars," says Southeast resident Mike Durante.

"When I drive on this road, I have a lot of anxiety. There's potholes, if it rains and it's muddy, you're skidding. The most important thing is safety," says Maria Molinski, whose daughter lives nearby.

The residents have been pushing for a portion of the road to get paved.

Some other neighbors, however, aren't on board.

"It's a great walking road, it's designated as a scenic road too. We just feel that if it is paved, it's going to become a short cut and we're not going to be able to stop people from going too fast," says Ed Marra, who lives on the road.

News 12 was told this debate has been going on for years.

Town leaders say they've been working with engineers to find a long-term solution.

That comes with some challenges though, because officials say the road is in a sensitive watershed area, improvements are restrictive and could get costly.

They've been working on a phased plan that includes a stabilization project.

Here is more from the town about its plans:

"Because Maple Road is in a sensitive watershed area, NYC DEP's regulations concerning the road's improvement are very restrictive. If it were paved all at once, additional mitigation requirements (drainage detention/retention) would need to be installed, which would further increase costs. The Town is currently exploring a workaround that would allow the improvements to be phased over several years; however, we are not sure if the DEP would agree to such an approach. We are mindful of the fact that there are differing opinions regarding the condition and future of Maple Road, but we put public safety as our highest priority.

As part of the implementation of a phased plan, the town replaced the guardrail along the reservoir to improve the safety of the road. Additionally, the Town completed an initial 300-foot stabilization project in 2025, which included installing geotextile fabric and other base improvements. In addition to being a necessary prerequisite for any future improvements, this segment also serves as a test section to evaluate how the stabilization methods perform under real-world conditions. These were the only improvements that could reasonably be completed in 2025 before winter conditions.

The next step is for the Town's engineers and Highway Department to evaluate how that section performed through the winter and provide recommendations for the next phase of improvements. The Town's Highway Department monitors the condition of Maple Road constantly. The evaluation process will begin in the next few weeks as the road thaws and the snow melts, and this will help inform how future phases are designed and implemented.

The Town has discussed these steps openly at public meetings, posted documentation on the Town website, and issued text and email alerts to keep residents informed. The Town remains committed to continuing the process and implementing improvements in a fiscally responsible, phased manner."